I actually really liked the look of Central, for a long time. They seemed intelligent, witty, and really original.
After a while I realised that all of the above was usually achieved by being giant douchebags and sticking by your guns even when you're not sure if they're loaded, or even real guns at all.
They remind me of private/prep school kids: very bright, very capable smartarses who shine in each other's company because they're privileged in some way and all went to the same schools/luncheons/tennis games. So they have this whole culture built up around each other, with a bunch of in-jokes and in-references and in-insults that serve to make themselves look sophisticated, and everyone else excluded. But it's superficial. It's built on bullshit. It's very nicely-designed bullshit, but it's shit nonetheless.
It's easy to look like you know what you're talking about, by acting certain and being intelligent enough to convincingly ride roughshod over everyone else's opinions. It's easy to look smart and original by comparison if you're dragging someone else's name through the mud in smart and original ways. But you can't deny the fact that it's no longer about truth or genuine discussion, but about a popularity contest. It's glitter they're throwing in your eyes instead of opening them.
Not that I don't think the above has any worth; I genuinely enjoy it, and Central is more than just that, and their members are indeed intelligent, educated and insightful. But I think at the end of the day I prefer this little hole. They're the marketplace, the streets, the theater - you go there for liveliness and entertainment, but you damn sure bring a knife or some pepper spray. But this is home, where things are a little more mundane, but you know we'll all try not to step on each other's toes just so we look as if we know where we're going.
My fingers smell like fried eggs.
(Feel free to disagree!)
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